nba finals preivew 2009

1 lakers vs 3 magic(s)

the lakers clawed and fought through inferior teams to reach the nba finals. keys plays and jelly-bean being jelly-bean got the lakers over the nuggets and on to the nba finals. the lakers are still not playing to their talent level, but it was just enough against teams not yet ready for the primetime. everybody besides kobe has been up and down (in sasha's case, just down). game 6 against the nuggets showed us a glimpse of the lakers turning on all cyclinders, but can they keep it up against the magic(s)?

the magic(s) defied expectations of a cavs/lakers series by steam-rolling the cavs with "match-up" problems. i'd say they were just flat-out out-played. the cavs had a choice - crowd the paint or stay on the shooters. they did neither. the magic just dumped it down to the big man, double-team came, they moved the ball side-to-side and hit their shots while the cavs either got lost on their rotations or got their smalls on bigs or got their slows on fasts. i hope everybody knows now that howard is no david robinson and brings the pain. lebron is just not good enough to beat elite teams.

since match-ups were so important, here's how they match-up:

center- bynum vs. howard. advantage howard. howard is the defensive player of the year and is the most active big man of all-time. he plays great weakside d, flies down the court, grabs every rebound and gets a ton of tip-in dunks. not to mention he's an athletic freak and a massive human being. at least drew bynum is big and shown flashes of dominance, but the only thing he likes doing is scoring points, and at this point, he's only half-way decent. this means we'll see a lot of pau at center.

power foward - gasol vs. lewis. advantage gasol. gasol is ready for the primetime. he's demanding the ball and swearing and he knows he is the third best player in the series. he has a ton of moves down low, and can move out and hit the 15 ft jumper. pau is a really smart player, passes well, and is starting to lift weights. he'll destroy lewis on the block, as lewis is really a small guy in a big guy's body. pau no longer has to deal with a physical player, as lewis is just as soft. while pau tries hard on defense, he's no match for lewis on the outside. lewis is a bomer and hit a ton of big shots vs the cavs. expect an offensive explosion from both players.

small forward - ariza vs. turkoglu. advantage mr. 4th quarter. hedo is a cold-blooded bomer who gets streaky at the right times. he plays great off the pick-and-roll, and plays point-forward during the fourth quarter. he can hit difficult shots down the stretch, which makes him dangerous. ariza is starting to become a big-play guy with key steals and big open threes against the nuggets. he's long and bothers shooters on the perimeter, but has trouble guarding bigger players who like to go to the hole. the key is hedo being aggressive. and ariza needs to shut down the pick and roll, hit the three, and make a couple hustle plays a game.

shooting gaurd - kobe vs. lee/pietrus. advantage kobe. kobe just dominated the nuggets with amazing play throughout the series. he took over games, played to the max, and showed he is the best player in the league. he can do anything offensively (any shot in the game is his) and can shut down a top player when he tires. he is the best fundamentally sound player and has the best footwork of any player. if his shot is on, his cut-throat attitude overshadows the game. with another championship, kobe will be considered the best player of his generation. lee and pietrus are good defenders and play good defense but are no match for kobe.

point guard - fisher vs. alston. advantage alston. alston is streaky but knows how to get the job done. a good ball-handler and is quick, but he is average in almost everything else. fisher has been champ, but shot has left him. he still can be a threat on the outside, but he needs to knock down the open three to be effective. does fisher have enough left in the tank? he's hit a ton of big shots during the finals, can he do it this year? i think he will.

bench - lakers vs magic(s). advantage lakers. the lakers have more depth and weapons off the bench. with odom the lakers can play small and have a big perimeter body on lewis when he gets going. he's also a great rebounder and can push the ball up the court. he's a match-up nightmare when he's on. lakers also have shooters and play-makers off the bench in walton, farmar, brown, and vujacic. if these guys play to their potential, they can deliever a knock-out. the magic got pietrus, gortat, and johnson who are nice back-ups, but don't have that game changing ability the lakers' bench has. pietrus is their x-factor. he can really make a difference in a game with his athleticism and corner three. also, if jameer nelson returns and is effective, the magic have a secret weapon that swing the series in their favor.

prediction: the lakers have a ton of talent and a supposed big man to stop howard. lakers also have x-factors like odom, fisher, ariza, and bymun who can carry the lakers when kobe and pau aren't hitting their shots. unfortunately, you never know who's going to show up, if anybody. can the lakers supporting all-stars play well enough times to win 4 games? with odom, the lakers can match up with the magic's shooting bigs. the magic are playing awesome basketball and amazing mental toughness. they had a few heart-breaking losses this post-season, but came back to win each series. these games are coming down to details and experience. the lakers were almost angry receiving a western-conference champion trophy and aren't going to let another championship go by. this is their time because their window is closing. they understand the urgency and heartbreak. lakers in 7.

2009 nba playoff preview - eastern confernce: round 2

1 cavaliers vs 4 hawks

the cavs just stream-rolled the pistons about a month ago and are ready for the next speed bump on their way to the finals. lebron is a post-human possessed to destroy every team until a championship is won. lebron might be the only player ever with shaq's combination of strength and quickness, magic's ball skills and vision, jordan's athleticism, and vince carter's will to win. and only people who could stop him are now poisoning different teams. drew gooden and larry hughes, anyone?

as the king is receiving his first mvp award, the hawks are receiving their 24th "most ugly playoff series" award. the hawks showed that they barley know how the win as they beat the heat(s).

prediction: breaking news! the hawks forfeit as they realize they have no chance. in a statement released by coach mike woodson: "as a organization, we were just so happy to get out of the first round, and as a team, we decided to forfeit the series and not tarnish our great season by being embarrassed by the cavs. j.d. and t.i. said they were throwing us a party, so good luck to the cavs!" cavs in 0.

2 celtics vs 3 magic(s)

the celtics barely got out of the first round against the bulls with lucky bounces and bad officiating. rondo is this year's most hated player of the playoffs, right behind ken perkins, eddie house, and the rest of the celtics. somebody needs to lay rondo out. i'm guessing howard is sending him to the hospital. but they showed some true grit, and got the calls when they needed it.

the magic gave up big leads against the 76ers but still beat closed out on the road without howard. has anybody ever been as deceptively mean as howard? this is a man that smiles as he gives a knock out elbow. as long as there isn't a james bond film in production, 007 re-occuring thug number 5, hedo, should still be the magic's "mr. 4th quarter."

prediction: celtics gave it all they got against the bulls and barely won. can they do it again? not against the magic(s). the magic(s) have played them well all season and have too much size and shooting against a team with zero depth, unless you count brian scalabrine's head bandage. magic(s) in 6.

2009 nba playoff preview - western conference: round 2

1 lakers vs 5 rockets

the lakers blasted through the jazz treating the series like a preseason match-up. the lakers might be the first ever team going through the motions in the playoffs. again, the lakers gave up big leads and pulled through. but the only problems on the lakers people talked about is their backup center struggling, their injured backup forward, their 3rd string point guard, and how lamar odom grew 3 inches the past week. is jelly-bean the best closer in the game? i don't think there's a stat for saves, but the machine unofficially leads the league in blow saves (sorry sasha).

the rockets played tough defense on a jump shooting team lead by the dorkiest player in the league. apparently, von wafer once hid battier's philosophy books as a prank, and shane sob uncontrollably until ron artest felt so bad he told shane where the books were. that's shane battier for you, oh and does exactly what you need from a wingman in the playoffs - hit timely threes and play good defense.

prediction: the lakers got enough bigs to negate yao's effect on the series and get him in foul trouble. kobe is going to go after the battier and artest, and it should make for some good youtube videos. lakers in 5.

2 nuggets vs 6 mavericks

the nuggets just destroyed the hornets. 58 points! it was a complete mental and physical domination. everything clicked for the nuggets, and the hornets laid down like dogs. even jason hart got reps! can they do it again?

the mavs won the battle of boring. the question is are they relevant again? um, no. not until they invent a time machine and bribe the officials in the 2006 nba finals. they look good though with good shooting and clutch play to bother the nuggets.

prediction: the nuggets have turned from wanna-be thugs to straight-up gangsta's. can they bully their way past the sneering mavs? yes, but not without a all-out gang war. dirk no longer wants to be soft and will sneer and elbow anybody they put in front of him (hello dahntay). though he will still do his pump fake fall away j. an interesting series. nuggets in 6.

2009 nba playoff preview - eastern confernce: round 1

1 cavaliers vs 8 pistons

the cavs are dominate. Nearly unbeatable at home,they have best defensive team in the league and the best player. They're playoff tested reaching the finals two years ago and have a clubhouse camaraderie only comparable to the nwo wolfpack.

the pistons are on the twilight of their successful ran through a awful conference - thank goodness! i'd rather watch full house than see these guys on tv again. this team is the reason why the eastern conference garbage the last 6 years. a.i. was right to quit on this scrap heep.

prediction: remember when everybody said the pistons are bored during the regular season, and turned it on for the playoffs. that will not happen this. the cavs will steam-roll through the pistons and hire the choreographer from high school musical for some new intros and celebrations. cavs in 4.

2 celtics vs 7 bulls

oh no! kg is out. big whoop. the only sad news is the lakers won't be to pound the celtics in the finals and lay-out rondo. i wouldn't worry too much. they'll be good enough to beat the sorry teams in the east to get to the conference finals.

the bulls made the playoffs!? i guess getting past the bucks and bobcats wasn't too tough when you have the all-mighty john salmons. it is cool that john paxton's devotion to march madness created the first ever final four all-stars team. too bad jo noah is on it though.

prediction: the kg-less celtics will roll over the perpetual baby bulls (do these guys ever grow up?) celtics in 5.

3 magic(s) vs 6 76ers

the most exciting team in the east might go into the 1st round with injuries 3 of their 4 best players (hedo, lewis, nelson). can stan van panic attack lead them to the 2nd round? do you want me to count the question marks? fyi, dwight howard is not too fun loving; brotha is 4th the league in t's; he's a chippy dude. expect some body slams.

76ers made the playoffs!? it's funny how their best player played behind luke walton in college. ouch, that hurt. is lou williams gonna make leap?

prediction: stan van takes the pressure off the magic with the motto " somebody has to win." and they should. magic in 7

4 hawks vs 5 heat(s)

i can't imagine the hawks winning a playoff series without dikembe and with mike bibby. joe johnson can carry a team though and the hawks got some good young players who don't shoot well. here's hoping for a zaza-o'neal stare-down.

can d-wade be mvp? 2006 kobe had better numbers and more wins in a tougher conference with worse players (kwame brown, smush parker!?) than wade this year. outrageous! remember, d-wade won only 15 games last year and got swept like dogs two years ago. he quit just like everybody else did. he should not be ahead of kobe, paul, or howard in mvp.

prediction: the hawks can't beat the refs and d-wade. heat in 7.

2009 nba playoff preview - western conference: round 1

1 lakers vs 8 jazz

the lakers cruised to the 1 seed this year, really trying only in statement games (boston, cleveland, spurs), playing down to the level of their competition (the pacific), and doing just enough to win. that being said, the lakers margin of victory was still +7.7 (second in the league behind cleveland). they've been licking their chops all year, waiting for the playoffs. now that it's here, can the lakers just turn it on and just pummell every team until the finals? probably not, but the lakers can still easily win the west doing what they've been doing.

the jazz's roster is filled with talent (according to jazz fans), but injuries have slowed them down this year (according to jerry sloan). it's surprising the jazz finished 8th in the west, but not so surprising when considering their road record (15-26, worst among west playoff teams). apparently, jazz players can't win on the road due the fact they live in utah and are so excited on road trips that they party too hard and end up being too tired or unfocused on the game.

prediction: the lake show will win easily at home with the role players hitting their shots, pau gasol playing 40+ minutes, and the jazz hanging out at beach and clubbing on sunset blvd. but lakers will have trouble in utah, as the jazz are so angry to be back in utah and unleash their fury on the lakers. fortunately for the lakers, the have kobe bryant to talk trash to jazz fans and tear their hearts out - literally! lakers in 6.

2 nuggets vs 7 hornets

when the nuggets traded for chuancey billips, everybody said it would be really good for them. and everybody was right! the nuggets have plenty of talent with a strong bench with j.r. "i made bobby jackson pout" smith and chris "it's time for the birdman to fly" anderson.

the hornets were slowed by injuries (who isn't) with peja, chandler, and mo-pete, but still managed to have everyone stay in love with chris paul's pits. should the hornets pull the upset, it'll be because the league's best point guard (not deron williams).

prediction: the nuggets have more talent than the hornets and a finally a leader who won't let the team get distracted when melo gets his yearly d.u.i. in this highly contested series, cp3 will dominate, but he doesn't have enough help to get past the most tatooed team in the league. nuggets in 7.

3 spurs vs 6 mavericks

the rematch everybody has been waiting for is finally here!... two years late. the former texas titans are riddled with injuries and age. the spurs still have duncan (lower body injury) and tony longoria-parker. pop is counting on roger "froger" mason jr. to provide some firepower.

the mavs sure look old, but they can win a game or two... at home. isn't mark cuban going to jail... for his performance on the simpsons?

prediction: the only anticipation in this series is if dirk will bust out a couple hoff songs. other than that, i'm counting the 'devin harris' comments when parker burns kidd everytime down the court. spurs in 6.

4 blazers vs 5 rockets

the blazers look good with enough 3 point shooting and big men to surround roy. they are amazing at home with the second best home record in the west. has a team ever had too many likeable players? gone are the jail-blazers days for sure.

the rockets feel like a very average team. hopefully yao will win the battle of slow big men vs oden. he needs all the support he can get. i never seen a guy so obviously tired during the 4th quarter. unfortunately for the rockets, he's their best player.

prediction: can the young blazers break through before yao does? surprisingly - no. artest will bottle up roy and yao will put up 20 and 10 until he leaves game 4 injured. rockets defense beats the blazers. shocker! rockets in 6.

[featuring...]

the hip-hop industry is notorious for using "featuring" artists. hip-hop hit-makers like snoop dogg, eminem, and rappin' 4 tay all got their start as a "featuring" artist. unfortunately, some artists are so adapt at the role and cannot move on to solo projects. as the case for nate dogg.

nate dogg's first big "featuring" appearance comes from warren g's regulate in 1995. the gangsta rap single was recognized with a grammy nomination, and soon after nate dogg's smooth r&b presence became a much sought after property. nate dogg began appearing on hit singles like dr dre's next episode, ludacris' area codes, 50 cent's 21 questions, and houston's i like that. after 3 more grammy nominations as a featured artist, nate dogg was the unofficial king of featured artists.

"yeah, i wish i got some recognition with my solo cuts, but it feels good being the man of featuring artists," nate dogg said in source magazine. "i've had a good career singing the chorus, but my real regret is that i never won a grammy."¹

for the past decade, nate dogg sat comfortable at the top of featuring artists... until now.

with the help of auto-tune, t-pain has risen to the top of the featuring artists. appearing on every hip-hop single from 2007-2009, t-pain dethroned nate dogg and crowned the new king of featuring artists.

"i guess nobody wants to hear smooth r&b choruses anymore," said a dejected nate dogg. "it's auto-tune this, auto-tune that, [expletive deleted], brotha even got a grammy."

"yo, i can't help it, [expletive deleted], people love my sound," retorted t-pain. "i'm just living the good life. yo, will smith was right. a rap grammy make you feel real good inside."

as t-pain continues his dominance, nate dogg can only look on and remember a time when his sound was the perfect compliment to gangsta rap.

"at least now i got time to work on my solo stuff," said nate dogg.

1- [citation needed]

take a look around

the question of the day

who travels more?

a. lebron james
b. dwyane wade
c. cain

sidenote: i'd have kobe in the running, but i feel people will try to slight him any chance they get.

lebron james
- the hulking 6'9", 250 beast was most recently called for a travel late in the fourth quarter against the wizards on jan. 4, 2009. the king described his move as the "crab dribble," while most observers call it "four freakin' huge steps towards the basket." the most ridiculous part is that james defends his move as "legal" after watching it 10 times. maybe like watching the shawshank redemption 10 times, you see something new and create a new meaning for what you just saw. but after watching shawshank 10 times, i never thought andy wasn't in prison. the fact is he traveled no matter how you see it. the king is just giving us a "o.j. simpson defense." all the king needs to do now is give a tirade about finding the people who really traveled.

dwyane wade
- after winning the nba championship and starring in awful commercials, d-wade has fallen back to earth. for a man who needs a wheelchair for a shoulder injury, he apparently also needs 2 steps and a spin move to beat defenders. as of now, only lakers' coach phil jackson has criticized wade for his patented spin move, calling it "a football move" and is surprised that he doesn't fall down a couple times while doing it. well, he actually didn't say that part, but how does a man that athletic fall down so often. is he secretly filming LifeCall commercials? or is he trying to break urkel's record for "most times fallen for a black man?"

cain
- for analysis read Ekenomics: Sasquatch: Man, Myth, or Martian?